Official Announcement of the start of the Chodosh season

[Yoseph Herman]

בס"ד

*CHODOSH BULLETIN-8 AUG 12*

*From the Guide to Chodosh-Y. Herman*

*Chodosh telephone Hot Line 718-305-5133, email
**yherman at earthlink.net*<yherman at earthlink.net>



 In a departure from previous years, this year the Guide to Chodosh will
publish only one booklet for the season. Instead of the other two issues,
we will send update information as often as needed to the paid subscribers
and those on the email list. This is the first of those updates.



*CHODOSH DATES FOR THE FORTHCOMING SEASON-EARLIER THAN USUAL*



In the list below, the “Packing date” indicates that all packaged goods
that were packed on or after that date may be Chodosh. The “Purchase date”
is the first date for which we feel it may no longer be safe to purchase
the foods without checking  for dating codes. We also give the first
recommended date to stop purchasing freshly baked items produced at the
local bakeries.



One can tell when the package was packed using the dating code printed on
the package. Dating codes are listed each year in the new, updated Guide to
Chodosh for a large number of products. However, we have the same problem
this year, as we had in all previous years. We are not able to publish the
new Guide until the mashgichim and other sources update their Yoshon
hashgocho information for the new season. Based on previous experience, all
such needed information will not be available until after Sukkos. Meanwhile
we will do our best to bridge the data gap as well as we can with updates
such as this to be mailed by US mail to the list of paid subscribers, sent
by email and recorded on the Hot Line. (See below how one can become a paid
subscriber to the printed reports. Reports sent by email are free of
charge.) In the interim, those who have last year’s Guide may try to
recalculate the codes given there for individual products to the current
year and cutoff packing date. A copy of last year’s last Guide is still
available by sending email to chodosh at sefer.com. If you do use that old
Guide, remember that it has not been updated. It should only be used for
package code guidance. PLEASE NOTE: It is not possible for us to duplicate
the full Guide in these short newsletters. Please use the following general
guidelines until the Guide is available, expected at the end of September.



*GENERAL GUIDANCE*



·         All items made in Israel under a reliable kashrus hashgocho are
Yoshon. Also included are items under the hashgocho of the
Badatz-Yerushalaim, even if made outside of Israel.**

·         All packaged goods with Yoshon printed on the label are Yoshon,
except when the only kashrus hashgocho is the Volover Rebbe, Harav Nochum
Efraim Teitelbaum. In addition, it has not yet been confirmed whether the
KCL of Lakewood will take responsibility for the Yoshon status of
facilities under their kashrus hashgocho.**



*LIST OF CHODOSH DATES:*



. We expect the Chodosh grain to start appearing in products as follows:

·         *Oats* products *packed or produced* as of *Jul 26* may contain
Chodosh. If *purchased* after *Aug 9* package codes should be checked.
However a later date is applicable for oatmeal and oats in other cereals
made by General Mills, Quaker, Nature Valley Granola and Malt-O-Meal, as
noted below.

·         *SPRING WHEAT: *Packaged foods that contain spring wheat may
contain Chodosh if *packed or produced* as of *Aug 9*. If *purchased* after
*Aug 24* hashgochos for Yoshon or package codes should be checked. Items
containing wheat, wheat germ or wheat starch may be Chodosh after this date
unless it is known that the wheat is Yoshon. Examples of foods that are
from winter wheat and are Yoshon are matzos and gefilte fish (Note: Some
gefilte fish may use ground up bread crumbs instead of matzo meal. The only
such brand we have found so far A&B was using only Yoshon bread crumbs.). **

·         *FRESHLY BAKED *bakery or store-produced items including breads,
chalahs, rolls, bagels, many cakes and cookies,  and pizza may be Chodosh
as of the* baking date* of* **Aug 9* in the mid-West USA and as of* **Aug 22
* if made elsewhere in the USA.

·         *NOODLES AND PASTA* may be Chodosh as of the *packing* date of *Aug
16*. If *purchased *after *Sept 7*, hashgochos or package codes should be
checked.

·         *BARLEY*: pearled barley or barley in cereals may be Chodosh as
of the *packing* date of *Aug 15.* If *purchased* after *Sept 1*, package
codes should be checked. So far we have confirmed from the mashgiach that
Gefen and Mishpacha barley will be Yoshon the entire season. We are still
waiting for confirmation for the other brands of barley that were Yoshon
last year. For the following national brands of barley the Chodosh code is *Aug
15, 2013*: C&F, Jack Rabbit, Peak, Stop&Shop, Trinidad. For Quaker barley
the code is *Feb 6, 2014*.

·         *BARLEY MALT* (also listed in the ingredients as “malt”) may be
Chodosh as of the *packing* date of *Dec 15*. Package codes should be
checked after the *purchase* date of *Jan 15* for *beer* and *March 15* for
malt in other products.



*REVISED  STATEMENT  ON THE OATS SITUATION*



We  had stated on several occasions that according to the weekly crop
progress reports issued by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), about 3
days before the second day of pesach 55% of the oats crop was already
planted. Therefore, if one holds halachically that crops that took root 3
days before the second day of pesach are Yoshon, then this year oats grown
in the US should be a majority Yoshon. However, it was first pointed out to
me by Rabbi Yehashua Norman of the COR-Toronto that the statistics issued
by the USDA are not meant to be precise enough to rely on the 55% figure to
be maikil.  However, even more importantly, new data was brought to my
attention by Reb Arye Leib Schreiber that totally does away with the hope
that most of the oats may be Yoshon this year.  I originally published the
estimate based on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that indicated
that this year about 55%  of the oats crop was planted before the 3-day
date. However, Reb Arye Leib Schreiber sent me USDA documentation that
shows the early average planting date of the USDA was skewed by the fact
that it included the very early planting dates of states such as Texas and
California. It turns out that most of the oats harvested in those states
are sold primarily for animal feed. Oats used for human consumption come
primarily from the upper Mid-West states where the planting is later.
Indeed, following the suggestion of Reb Arye Leib Schreiber I took the
animal-feeds states out of the calculations and came up with a revised
estimate. Namely *approximately 31% of the oats were planted before the
latest, 3-day before 2nd day of pesach *date. This estimate is not
understood to be precise. However, it is sufficiently less than 50%, that
we are confident to believe that even according to the 3-day opinion,  most
of the oats were Chodosh as planted. Therefore, the final conclusions are
that *the USA spring crops, oats, spring wheat and barley were certainly
mostly Chodosh this year as in other years.*



*SPECIFIC BRANDS OF OATS CEREALS*



The O-U had estimated that at least up to a packing date of Sept 15,  all
the oat meals and  *oats* in cereals made by General Mills, Quaker and
Malt-O-Meal use Yoshon oats. Note of caution, this only applies to the oats
in these cereals. Those cereals that have wheat products in the list of
ingredients may be Chodosh from the earlier wheat date given above. For
General Mills cereals with wheat in the ingredients (such as some types of
Cheerios), the wheat may be Chodosh starting with a code of Aug 15 2013
(372 days after packing.) The wheat Chodosh codes for Quaker and
Malt-O-Meal are too complicated and will be given in the full Guide.
However all oat meals and other cereals from these companies that do not
contain wheat in the ingredients are probably Yoshon up to the *purchase *date
of Sept 30.



Nature Valley Granola bars with oats but no wheat products,  the oats are
Yoshon at least to the packing date of Sept 1, code Sept 7 2013



*HOW TO PURCHASE A PAID SUBSCRIPTION FOR PRINTED GUIDE AND OTHER UPDATES TO
BE SENT TO YOU BY US MAIL*



The price for 1 Guide booklet (the only one to be published this year) plus
update supplements such as this to be mailed to you by US mail is $16 if it
is to be sent to an address in the USA, $18.50 to Canada and Mexico, and
$22 to Israel and other overseas addresses.



·         By *Credit Card* (preferred). Either call 845-356-9348, or fax in
your name, address, your phone number, and your credit card number and
expiration date to 845-746-4205. (A few people have reported that they were
unable to send faxes to the above number. We still have not been able to
trace the reason for this problem. If you experience such fax problems,
please accept our apologies and try to call in your order by voice message
to the first phone number.)

·         Mail your order with a check for $16, $18.50 or $22, to Project
Chodosh, PO Box 150088, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. Be sure to include your full
name, address and phone number.


***********************************************


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